Publicly accessible pay telephones have long been an attractive target for vandalism and robbery. Over the years substantial efforts have been made to reinforce the telephone box structure and to place impediments in the way of those persons seeking unauthorized access to the telephone and particularly to the telephone's coin box. Such measures have included the incorporation of strengthening panels or overlying housing elements to prevent or at least deter access to the interior of the telephone housing from which the coin box contents can be reached.
One particularly tempting area for attack is the area of the housing upon which the telephone dial is mounted. To accommodate the use of touchtone dialing mechanisms, the telephone housing must be provided with a plurality of apertures for the touchtone dial assembly's buttons or keys. This matrix through the housing, as well as the pushbutton assembly itself, often yields to the attack of the vandal. Once entry into the interior of the telephone is made, the vandal can relatively easily defeat or remove the lock assembly which secures the telephone housing to a back panel, allowing the telephone box to be removed, resulting in ultimate access to the coin box.
It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide an apparatus which improves the resistance to lock assemblies to removal or tampering.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide an apparatus which further maintains the security and integrity of a coin-operated telephone, and in particular the lock mechanism associated therewith.
Still another purpose of the present invention is to provide a guard assembly for a lock mechanism, such as are utilized in coin-operated telephones and similar devices, which restricts access to the lock mechanism while permitting normal operation thereof.
Yet another purpose of the present invention is to provide a guard mechanism of the aforementioned type which further shields the bolt of a lock mechanism, thereby providing additional protection thereto.